"How'd you end up in Recto?", Kate's mom asked. Kate's in the bathroom taking a bath.
"We were dodging Jeric's crew, saw us near Pritil. We bought what we needed but then---"
"Hold up, kid... That Jeric? Heard he got jumped near Pritil by some tricycle dudes from Vitas! Got his ass handed to him, snatched an earring from a passenger, someone yelled!!"
"T-That's not true..."
"What do you mean?", Kate's dad chimed in, sitting at the table with me. It started raining, so we were all taking shelter.
"Uh... Here's the thing, we saw Jeric and his gang when we passed Pritil. I told the driver they were up to no good. Driver sped up, but they looked like they were gonna catch us at the Ilaya corner; driver handed me a pipe and I said I'd face them while he got Kate out of there... When I confronted them, they got scared and backed off... I was the one who yelled SNATCHER SNATCHER."
"Well, damn... Smart move, kid! You avoided trouble, kept your girl safe, and had a backup plan! Ha ha!!! Nice one!! But they might come for you..."
"Whatever, as long as I get Kate to school and pick her up after. That's the plan so Jeric's gang won't mess with her."
"Wait, there's a threat to Kate?", Kate's mom.
"Holy crap, who are these freaks? Are they tough?", Kate's dad.
"There's a lot of them, they gang up on people... The real troublemakers are the girls with them. They pull hair and rip clothes off their enemies. I think they're the same ones we fought back when I was studying there. They used to harass a girl my buddy was dating... They don't care, they'll gang up on anyone. There's all sorts in their crew, tomboys, gays... They don't care, they just gang up."
"Those punks, they're just outsiders. They act tough because they're in a group. One-on-one, you could take them. But they won't fight fair.", Kate's dad.
"Hey, maybe we should tell Kate's godfather, Col. Roman?"
"I'll mention it if I get invited to a party."
"You're right, kid... It's risky. But they might target you more if you're with Kate... I'll have Balong pick up and drop off Kate. They won't mess with Balong, he's built like Pacquiao! Just keep an eye on Kate from a distance, don't make it obvious you're there. If you feel brave enough, confront Jeric. That punk's a menace!"
"Have you eaten yet?", asked Mang Cris when we all went quiet.
"Kate and I ate in Recto, at Pinsec. Noodles and siopao."
"Nice, was that a date?"
"Just food..."
"That's fine! It's still a date! When Taba and I moved back to Manila, I took her out for our anniversary. She was happy with that! Even if it's not an expensive restaurant.", hoping the topic wouldn't stray.
"On Monday, make sure to watch out for Kate and Balong. Balong's got a tricycle. When they're at school, point out the troublemakers to Balong. He's not here now, but I want you to come back tomorrow to meet him.", added Mang Cris.
When Kate finished her bath, she joined us at the table.
"Hey, you okay? Want some egg pie?", her dad sweetly asked his daughter.
"Hey, can you get a whole egg pie for Kate? There's an umbrella, just go straight and you'll see a bakery.", Mang Cris ordered me.
"Dad, napkin!", Kate said, head resting on her arm on the table.
"Taba!!! What's up with Kate's napkin? Hey, Taba!!"
"I'm here, I bought one from across the street."
That's all I heard as I walked away.
"Where's Chris going?"
"Sent him to get an eg---..."
Zoning out...